


It'll Be Okay (I Promise)

by orphan_account



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - I'm Not Okay Video, Coming Out, Eventual Relationships, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Gerard Way, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Frank Iero, Transgender
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 23:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7865908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm Not Okay AU. Frankie Iero came out as trans to her mother just before the summer. Now she's starting high school on the other side of New Jersey, finally able to present herself as the girl she wants to be. When she meets Gee & Mikey Way and their best friend Ray Toro, she finds herself gaining a new group of friends, and even maybe sort of falling in love with the older Way brother.</p>
<p>But two things stand in the way: Gee doesn't know Frankie was not born female, and Gee has his own little secret he doesn't trust anyone but Mikey with. Will these secrets get in the way of a blossoming romance?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys and welcome to my first ever fanfic in this fandom and on this website!
> 
> A few notes about the story:  
> -Frankie and Mikey are both turning 15 in this story (Mikey of course slightly sooner than Frank). Meanwhile Gee and Ray are both 17, turning 18 much much later in the story. This means that not only is there a two-year age difference between Mikey and Gee instead of three, but there is also two years instead of four between Frankie and Gee.  
> -Gee identifies as genderfluid. This means they switch between feeling male, female, and sometimes neither. To reflect this, the pronouns the writing uses when referring to them will change. At the end of this chapter and the entirety of the next, for example, Gee is feeling masculine on the day, so the story starts off using they/them, then switches to he/him/his.  
> -Gee is only out to Mikey. As such, every other character will always use he/his/him pronouns, or use gendered language such as 'Mikey's brother'. Mikey asking Gerard his pronouns, as witnessed in this chapter, will be a recurring thing.  
> -Being an AU of the I'm Not Okay music video, this fic is set in an American high school. I am not American myself, so I cannot guarantee any terms I use are correct. Any Americans out there, feel free to correct me if I get any information wrong!
> 
> Alright that's all from me for now. Enjoy, and please let me know what you honestly think about what you read, I can take criticism.

Frankie groaned as the alarm signifying the start of the new school year blared throughout her bedroom. She hit the button on the alarm to silence it before rolling herself out of bed. Rubbing at her tired eyes, she trudged downstairs to the kitchen, where she found her mother making pancakes for breakfast.

 

“Mom, you really didn't have to.” Frankie mumbled, gaining her mother’s attention.

 

Linda turned around to smile at her only child. “Oh, but Frankie, it's the start of a new year! A new school! A new you!”

 

Frankie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at her mother’s enthusiasm. “It’s just high school, mom. It's really not that big of a deal.”

 

Linda dropped her spatula as if she had just been burned. “Not that big of a deal?!” She gasped. “Francesca Iero it may not be a big deal to you but it is to me! My baby girl’s not a baby anymore!”

 

“Mom, I haven't been a baby for fourteen years-”

 

“Let me have my moment Frankie! You've grown so much in the last year and words can't even describe how proud I am of you!”

 

Frankie swore she saw tears in her mother’s eyes as she was pulled into one of Linda Iero’s bone crushing hugs. “Aww mom, stop, you'll make me cry!” She said sarcastically, chuckling to herself a little bit.

 

“Good, maybe then you'll feel an inch of sympathy for your poor old mother.” Linda deadpanned back. “Now come on, eat up!”

 

Frankie smiled to herself as she dug into her stack of pancakes. She honestly thought she had struck gold, having such a supportive and loving mother.

 

You see, Frankie was born a boy named Frank Anthony. Growing up, her mother had never forced gender roles on her young child, so Frankie had grown up playing dress ups with Linda’s clothes and makeup, not realizing how strange a boy in a dress was to a large portion of the outside world, especially in 80’s New Jersey. It wasn't until she went to school and was bullied for her ‘girly’ interests that she had begun to felt she was born in the wrong body.

 

It wasn't until her last year of middle school that she finally understood why she felt that way, and discovered the term ‘transgender’, and perhaps most importantly that she was not the only person that felt this way. Upon this discovery, Frankie had sat her mother down, telling her she wanted to be referred to as a girl and if she could please call her Francesca or Frankie and she/her pronouns it would be very much appreciated. Of course Linda had accepted this. She had always known her ‘son’ had a feminine streak, and besides, she had always used the nickname Frankie, so the change wasn't too difficult for her to process. Of course, she still messed up pronouns occasionally, she was only human after all, but she always apologized and corrected herself, and Frankie accepted that sometimes Linda would forget or slip up even years into the future.

 

However, Linda feared what could happen to Frankie if the kids from her middle school heard about Frankie being trans. Worried for her child's safety, Linda had packed her and her daughter's bags, and at the beginning of the summer, the two had left town, now settled into a new house of the other side of the state. As much as Frankie had initially missed her hometown, she was  overwhelmingly happy that her mother had done it with nothing but Frankie's happiness and safety in mind.

 

Lost in thought, Frankie hadn't even realized she had finished her breakfast and was now staring off into space until her mom broke her train of thought. “Frankie dear, you're my daughter and I'll always think you're beautiful no matter what, but you need to make yourself presentable for school.” Linda chastised, taking her dishes to the sink.

 

Smiling once more at her, Frankie made her way back upstairs to her room, pulling her new uniform out of her closet.  _ Even when I'm not at Catholic school, I still can't escape uniforms,  _ Frankie thought. Sighing to herself, she begrudgingly pulled on the uniform, smoothing her hands over the shirt and skirt to smooth out any wrinkles.  _ At least it's a girl's uniform this year.  _ Frankie couldn't help but smile to herself at the prospect. At her previous schools, she had been forced to wear the boy’s uniforms since by birth, she was, in fact, a male.

 

Slipping on her tights and school shoes, Frankie paused to look at herself in the mirror. She had come a long way from the boy she was forced to pretend to be just a few short months ago. Her hair, once cut short and kept its natural brown color, now touched just below her shoulders and was dyed black. She was lucky in that her face had never been too masculine, but the areas she did find to look too masculine, she knew how to hide with a bit of makeup. And the best part of all? She actually looked happier. Her eyes now sparkled a bright hazel, a far cry from the dullness they had held when she been in the closet, and her smile looked and felt more genuine.

 

Grabbing her hairbrush, Frankie gently brushed through her dark locks, deciding to leave it out. She allowed the sides to fall over her shoulders, framing her face in a way that softened her jawline. Deciding to keep her makeup simple, just in case the school was strict about that kind of thing, she applied a thin line of black eyeliner on her top and bottom lids, smudging the lines ever so slightly, coated her lashes with mascara (which she wasn’t a fan of applying, by the way-she only really wore it to make her eyelashes seem longer and more feminine), and rubbed a small amount of red-tinted balm on her lips. To finish off, she stuck pieces of simple silver jewelry into each of her piercing holes, small enough that one would only see them if they were looking for them or closely studying her face.

 

Satisfied with how she looked, Frankie grabbed her bag and headed back downstairs. “How do I look, mom?” she asked. She knew Linda would tell her she looked nice no matter what, but if anything about her didn’t seem school-appropriate to her, Frankie knew she would tell her.

 

Linda let out an over-exaggerated gasp as she looked her daughter up and down. “Frankie dear, you look absolutely beautiful! You look just like the new high-schooler you are!”

 

“What about my voice? How do I sound?” Frankie had spent hours every day of summer vacation practising making her voice sound more naturally feminine, but even so, she couldn’t help but feel slightly insecure about the matter. “Do I actually sound like a girl? And be honest, don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear-”

 

Linda cut her off. “Frankie, stop freaking out. Your voice sounds perfectly feminine.”

 

“Yeah but does it sound nat-”

 

“Yes, Frankie.”

 

“Okay, if you say so.” Frankie sighed out. She grabbed the lunch Linda had prepared for her the previous night, shoving it into her bag.

 

“Now, are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Linda asked, embracing her daughter in a final hug before she left.

 

“It’s just a couple of blocks, mom. I’ll be fine walking.” Frankie responded, returning the hug. “Trust me mom, I’ll be okay.”

 

“Alright, if you insist.” Linda sighed, kissing Frankie’s cheek before letting her go. “Now, go make me proud baby!”

 

Frankie rolled her eyes. “Mom, you’re being embarrassing.” She groaned sarcastically as she headed out the door. “Bye!”

 

“Bye Frankie! I love you!”

 

“Love you too!” Frankie called back as she closed the front door of their house behind her. She smiled to herself as she made her way to school. She had always hated school, but something told her this year would be different.

 

\--

 

Almost as soon as the alarm blared throughout the basement, the pale hand of Gee Way stuck out from under the blankets and hit snooze. The teen rolled over and pulled the blankets further over their head, hoping to catch ten more minutes of sleep. But, of course, that wasn't happening.

 

“Gerard! Up, now!” The shrill voice of Donna Way yelled from up the stairs. Gee winced at the use of  _ that  _ name, but they supposed it was their fault for not coming out yet. Slowly, Gee rolled themself out of bed, dreading the inevitably horrible year. Not only was it Gee’s first day of their senior year, but their brother Mikey was starting his freshman year.

 

Gee trudged up the stairs still in their pyjamas, wandering into the kitchen to be greeted with the sight of Mikey, fully dressed and ready for school, holding out a steaming mug of coffee for them. Gee gratefully accepted the mug, taking a sip as they stood beside their brother. “How is it you can handle being up this early?”

 

“Coffee, coffee, and a fuckton more coffee.” Mikey replied, taking a sip from his own coffee mug. He looked over at the kitchen entryway, making sure Donna would not walk in, before he leaned in to ask his older sibling the same question he always asked every morning he could. “What pronouns today?”

 

In the two years since Gee had realized they were genderfluid, Mikey was the only person they had ever told. Of course, being only thirteen at the time, Mikey hadn't quite understood the concept at first. 

 

_ “What do you mean, you're not always a boy?” Mikey asked, staring up at his older brother. _

 

_ “Well, Mikey, you and I were both born boys. Most of the times, boys want to be boys, but other times, a boy would much rather be a girl. And it works the other way, too. Girls mostly want to be girls, but sometimes one might want to be a boy.” Gee explained to their baby brother. _

 

_ “Okay, but that doesn't explain ‘not always’. What do you mean, not always a boy?” Mikey asked. _

 

_ “Well, occasionally, there will be a person like me. And they can be born a girl or a boy, it doesn't matter. But they'll only sometimes want to be what they were born as. Other times, they'll want to be the opposite. So someone like me is born a boy, and sometimes wants to be a girl, whereas someone born a girl might want to be a boy sometimes. Does that make sense to you?” _

 

_ “Yeah, I guess so.” Mikey nodded, causing his glasses to slip down his nose. “So does this mean I have to call you by a girls name sometimes?” He asked, pushing his glasses back up. _

 

_ “No, just Gee’s fine. But one thing, Mikey. You cannot tell mom or dad about this. Not until I'm ready.” _

 

_ “It's okay, Gee. Your secret’s safe with me!” The younger of the two smiled. _

 

Mikey had kept his promise ever since. It killed him that his older sibling thought it wasn't safe for them to tell their parents how they identified, but he understood and respected Gee too much to just out them like that. He kept up saying ‘he’ when referring to them in front of their parents, but on their own, Mikey used whatever pronouns Gee would ask of him on any given day.

 

“I think it's a boy day. I don't know, I'm too tired.” Gee chuckled, sipping at their coffee. “Get back to me in fifteen minutes when I'm fully awake.”

 

Mikey smiled and nodded, finishing his coffee as their mother walked back into the kitchen. “So, Gee, ready for your last year of hell, as you so eloquently put it?” Mikey teased, pretending as if he had been asking Gee about the weather or something and not about their gender of the day.

 

Gee groaned, pretending to faceplant the table. “Don't even wanna talk about it Mikes.”

 

“Gerard, you're gonna make yourself and Mikey late if you don't hurry up and get ready to go.” Donna scolded.

 

“Alright, alright.” Gee said, quickly gulping down the rest of their coffee, carefully dumping their mug in the sink before heading back downstairs. They quickly pulled on their uniform, not bothering to do anything with their hair, leaving it a black, greasy mess hanging down just above their shoulders. Grabbing their bag, Gee headed out to the garage, where Donna and Mikey were already waiting in the car. Gee climbed into the backseat with their brother, buckling up as Donna pulled out of the driveway. They sighed, looking out the window. They only looked away from the window when Mikey tapped their shoulder, mouthing to them.  _ Boy day?  _ Mikey asked silently.

 

Gee gave their baby brother a small smile, nodding a confirmation that yes, masculine pronouns were okay today. He sighed to himself as he resumed his previous position of staring out the window, now smiling to himself a little. At least one person understood.  Would he ever let anyone else? Not until he was out of the house at least.

 

\--

 

The school was huge-well, at least Frankie thought so. Her middle school had been tiny, and she guessed that just the office building of this school alone was about half the size of the entire middle school. She sighed to herself as she walked into the office, approaching the middle-aged receptionist. 

 

“How can I help you?” The lady asked, not once looking up from the computer in front of her.

 

“Hi, I’m a new freshman student, I got told I would have to come here to get my schedule and locker combination, those kinds of things?” Frankie asked politely.

 

“Right, your name?” The receptionist still didn’t look up.

 

“Francesca Iero. That’s I-E-R-O.” Frankie figured she may as well spell it out before she was asked. It was to be expected, everyone always did. She watched as the woman looked through a pile of papers, presumably searching for her papers, before pulling out a paper marked ‘IERO’ at the top. The woman finally looked up as she handed Frankie her schedule, grimacing judgmentally at her appearance. Frankie guessed it was probably just her hair color or something, but a small voice in her brain couldn’t help but tell her it wa because she looked too masculine.

 

“Thanks.” Frankie said, smiling tightly as she turned to walk out of the building. As she walked, she read over her schedule, trying to work out where she had to go for her first class, when she ran smack bang into another person, causing the both of them to fall over.

 

“Shit, sorry!” Frankie apologised, pulling herself up. “I should’ve watched where I was going!” She stuck a hand out to the other person, offering her help. But it seemed as though he couldn’t see her hand.

 

“No, that’s alright, my fault really.” The other person said, using his hands to feel around him. “Listen, I don’t want to be a bother, but I seem to have lost my glasses…” Frankie looked around, spotting the glasses just a few feet away. She quickly picked them up and passed them back to their rightful owner. “Thanks.” The boy pushed the glasses onto his nose, and Frankie once again offered her hand, which he gratefully accepted.

 

Frankie took in the boy’s appearance. He was much taller than her, and very thin-looking, to the point Frankie couldn’t help but wonder if that was normal. His glasses hid hazel eyes, and she was almost certain his brown hair was not naturally that straight. Frankie couldn’t deny he was cute. _Definitely_ _not_ _my_ _type_ , _though_ , Frankie told herself in her mind, as she thought about how her mom would almost definitely assume she liked him like that the moment she mentioned him.

 

“I’m Mikey, by the way.” The boy, Mikey, introduced himself, offering a hand out to shake.

 

“I'm Frankie. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She replied, grabbing his hand and shaking it. “You fresh meat too?”

 

Mikey chuckled at her wording. “Yeah, that's kinda why I'm here.” He gestured to the office building they were standing just outside of. “If you get lost I can help though. My, uh-” He paused, remembering he had to say ‘brother’ since he wasn't talking directly to Gee. “-My brother’s a senior, so he's kinda told me where everything is.”

 

“Oh, that's cool. That would be great, thanks. I'd have to figure it all out for myself otherwise.” Frankie chuckled. “Here, I'll walk with you if you don't mind?” 

 

“Not at all.” Mikey smiled, as the two walked side by side. “So, you have to work it out by yourself. Are you the oldest sibling then?”

 

“Nope. Only child.”

 

“Damn, that must suck.”

 

“Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. I wouldn't have it any other way though. The only negative I see is I can't put the blame on someone else if I don't clean up after myself.” Frankie joked.

 

Mikey chuckled. “Fair enough.” He approached the desk, and the receptionist actually looked up from the start this time. “Yes, my name is Michael Way and I'm one of this year’s freshmen. I hear you've got my schedule and stuff?”

 

Noticing Frankie standing behind him, the woman said nothing as she handed Mikey his schedule. Again, Frankie knew she was probably just a judgy old lady who didn't like black hair or something, but a tiny part of her couldn't help but think the woman could tell she was trans. Hell, she didn't even know if Mikey could tell.

 

“Man, that woman really doesn't like you.” Mikey chuckled as the two teens walked back outside. “Like, you've been here for five minutes, what'd you ever do to her?”

 

“Who knows? I guess I'm just very unlikeable or something.” Frankie chuckled as if she was joking, but in her mind, the words held some truth.

 

“That can't be true. I like you.” Mikey said bluntly.

 

“Really?” Frankie asked, staring incredulously at the taller teen.

 

“Well, yeah. I mean I've only known you for five minutes and all I know about you is that your name is Frankie, you're a freshman like me, and you're an only child, but you haven't given me any reason to not like you.” Mikey shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“Well, I'm flattered.Thank you.” Frankie smiled sincerely. She could barely believe it, ten minutes and she already had a friend. “Say, what do you have first?”

 

Upon comparing their schedules, it appeared as though Frankie and Mikey had most of their classes together, including first period. As the two teens headed off towards their lockers, which thankfully according to what Mikey knew were in the same building as their first class, Frankie found herself thinking. She realized that for the first time since back to school preparation had started, she was not concerned about whether she didn't pass.

 

As the two teens neared the building they needed, Mikey paused and looked into the distance. Frankie followed his eyes to see two teens sitting on the steps of one of the smaller buildings. One was a boy with a wild, curly afro, the other a teen with greasy black hair. Frankie couldn't quite tell if the latter was a boy or girl, despite the fact they were wearing the boy’s uniform. Mikey opened his mouth as if he was going to call out to them, but before he got the chance the warning bell rang, signaling the fact they had five minutes to go to their lockers and get to class. Frankie prepared herself to run for it, but seeing Mikey stay calm and continue walking at the same leisurely pace he was before, she chose not to.

  
Frankie smiled to herself as she walked beside Mikey. Maybe this year really would be great for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for the kudos and comments on Chapter 1!
> 
> A quick note about the setting of this story: Being set in the I'm Not Okay video, some scenes from the actual video will be in here. Several from the first minute or so of the video are in this chapter, in fact. However, not every single scene will be written, and those that are may or may not be in order of when they actually happened in the video. However, most scenes will be referenced.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy Chapter 2!

Walking through the school gates, Gee pointed Mikey in the direction of the office. “You’re on your own now, kid.” He joked, grinning at his younger brother. Mikey, however, was not amused.

“I’m hardly a kid, Gee.” Mikey replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, but you’re my younger brother. Therefore, you’ll always be a kid to me.”

“Whatever.” Mikey said, starting to walk off.

“Good luck kid!” Gee called out, laughing as Mikey flipped him off. Smirking to himself, he walked off in search of his closest-and, if he was being honest, only-friend. It wasn’t too difficult to find him perched on the steps of the school’s small shed. Anyone who knew Ray Toro would be able to his curly brown afro from a mile away. He smiled as he approached the other senior boy, sitting down beside him.

“Hey man, how was your summer?” Ray greeted, flashing a smile at his best friend.

Gee shrugged. “It was alright, I guess. Didn’t get up to much, really. Mikey and his girlfriend, Alyssa or something, broke up though. That’s pretty much it.”

“Oh, that must suck for him. Is he alright?” Ray said sympathetically. Being close to Gee, he almost considered Mikey as the little brother he never had.

“Yeah, he’s okay. It was his idea, actually. But that’s his story to tell, not mine. How was Chile?” Ray and his family had always gone to exotic far-away countries (usually in South America, so not really too far away, but still) every summer, ever since Gee had met him back at the start of middle school.

“Yeah, it was great.” Ray then began to tell him all about what he got up to. Gee stared off into space, listening, but not really absorbing everything.

“Gee, are you even listening to me?” Ray sighed, not particularly mad. He knew Gee tended to get lost in his thoughts sometimes.

“What? Oh, yeah, sorry.” Gee said sheepishly. “I was listening, just not showing it. My bad.”

“It’s alright. Are you sure you’re okay?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, just fine. Trust me.” Gee replied, staring off into space once again. “I’m just thinking about, you know, this is it. The last year before you and I are thrown out into the big, bad, adult world. We’re gonna have to go to college, maybe get a job, or just, you know, hide away and fade into nothing, pretending like we have no responsibilities.”

“Someone’s optimistic.” Ray chuckled sarcastically.

“I’m serious, dude!” Gee said, a little snappier than he intended. “Like, me personally, I wanna go to art school. But as much as I’m passionate about art and stuff, it’s not exactly a viable job now, is it?”

“Gee.” Ray sighed. “I hate to tell you this, but this is you we’re talking about. You like D&D, Audrey Hepburn, Fangoria, Harry Houdini, and croquet. You can’t swim, you can’t dance, and you don’t know karate. Face it, you’re never gonna make it.”

Gee turned to glance at Ray, sending him a hurt look as if to say ‘wow, harsh, dude’. “I don’t wanna make it. I just wanna-” He was cut off by the sound of the bell, signaling they had five minutes to get to class. “Nevermind.” Gee sighed, standing up and grabbing his bag. Looking ahead of him, he saw his brother walking to class alongside a short, black-haired girl. A new girlfriend already? Gee thought, reminding himself to joke about it to Mikey later. He knew that realistically, they only just met and were probably friends for now, but honestly, teasing his little brother was just too fun.

\--

Frankie decided whoever thought algebra first thing on a Monday morning had a sick sense of humor. Not just for the fact she sucked at math in general, but the class sucked. The numbers and equations on the board and on the sheet in front of her made zero sense, and the teacher was not only mean-looking, but didn’t even seem to care. He basically got up, wrote the work on the board, and proceeded to sit down at his desk and stare blankly at the class for the rest of the hour.

As the bell rang to signal the end of the class, Frankie looked at her schedule. She looked over at Mikey, as if to ask what he had next.

“I got chemistry next, you?” Mikey asked, adjusting his glasses so they wouldn’t fall off his nose.

“Same.” Frankie smiled. Although she didn’t like science much either, she much preferred the idea of blowing shit up over sitting in algebra melting her brain with equations she didn’t understand. The pair stood up, exiting the room before making their way to the science building. As they walked down the hall to their classroom, Frankie stopped outside of one. At the front of the class, she saw the curly-haired boy from before school, licking a...was that a crayon? Frankie was taken aback, and her face contorted in disgust as the boy bit the crayon in half.

“Are you alright?” Mikey asked, his eyes following hers to land on the boy he recognised as Ray Toro. “Oh Jesus.” Mikey muttered. “Come on, let’s go. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Do you know him?” Frankie asked, following Mikey down the hall.

“Yeah, that’s Ray Toro. He’s my brother’s best friend.” Mikey replied, shrugging his shoulders. “He’s a little strange, as you just witnessed.”

“Yeah, strange, that’s a word for it.” Frankie muttered.

\--

In Chemistry, Mikey discovered that maybe his new friend was a bit strange, too.

“Hey Mikey, dare me to drink this?” Frankie said, holding up their beaker full of...well, she hadn’t been paying attention. All she knew what that it was a bright yellow color and she was tempted to drink it.

Mikey’s head shot up to look at her, his eyes widened almost comically. “No, I really don’t!” He exclaimed. “Don’t even think about it, Frankie, I swear to God, you don’t know what the chemicals could do to you-”

But Frankie had already made up her mind. “Cheers!” She giggled, before taking a large gulp of the liquid.

“Oh God.” Mikey muttered to himself, holding his head in his hands. He only looked up when he heard Frankie coughing, followed by the teacher clearing his throat.

“Mr Way, take Miss Iero to the nurse’s office at once.” He said boredly. To Mikey, it seemed as though the teacher didn’t really care, and that he was only telling him so he wouldn’t have a student’s potential death on his hands, or perhaps that this had just happened a dozen times before.

“Yes sir.” Mikey replied, standing up and helping Frankie up. He quickly rushed her towards the nurse's office, arriving in what he thought must be record time. As the nurse tended to Frankie, giving her something she said would make her vomit the chemicals back up, Mikey stopped to gasp for breath, pulling out his inhaler and taking a quick puff. He sat down in one of the chairs, looking around boredly as the sound of retching ensued from the office’s adjoining bathroom. He crinkled his nose slightly as the sound, thanking whatever God was out there (assuming there even was one, of course) that it wasn’t him that was stupid enough to drink their science experiment. He hated throwing up, so as much as he didn’t wish bad things on anyone (well, most people anyway), in his mind it was better her than him.

Shortly after the sounds stopped, Frankie and the nurse exited the small bathroom. “Now you know what not to do with your Chemistry experiments, right?” The nurse asked her sternly, as Frankie nodded that yes, she did understand. At this, the nurse’s face softened slightly. “Do you want me to call your mom, Miss Iero?” She asked, this time earning a quick head shake from the young girl.”Alright, if you insist. Stay here for the rest of the period for monitoring. Mr Way, are you staying with her?”

Mikey was about to tell the nurse that he really should go back to class, but Frankie gave him a pleading look, silently begging him to stay with her. “Yeah, okay.” He relented. The nurse nodded, telling him that she would just go and quickly inform the teacher of his whereabouts, before walking out of the small room.

Frankie lay down on one of the uncomfortable beds, staring up at the ceiling. “Thanks for staying with me.” She whispered hoarsely. She was worried if she spoke too loudly right now, her voice would break, and then Mikey would know her secret.

Mikey smiled at his friend. “Of course, it’s nothing really. You scared the shit out of me, though, not gonna lie.” He chuckled sarcastically at the last part.

“Sorry.” Frankie said, flashing him an apologetic smile. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Damn right you weren’t.” He chuckled. The two teenagers sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Mikey biting his lip as in thought.

“What are you thinking about?” Frankie asked, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Huh? Oh, nothing much.” Mikey shrugged and paused, choosing his words carefully. “It’s just...you know, there’s something...unique about you, Frankie.”

“Oh, is that so?” Frankie asked curiously, but on the inside, she was freaking out. Does he know? Can he tell?

“Yeah. I can’t put my finger on what, but...there’s just something about you that sets you apart from other girls, you know?”

“Is that a good thing?” Frankie joked, trying to lighten the mood and ease her internal anxiety. “You’re not falling in love with me already, are you?” Mikey chuckled at that, but Frankie didn’t miss the faint blush that spread across his face briefly.

“No, nothing like that. But yeah, that’s a good thing.”

Frankie smiled. “Well, I’m flattered.”

\--

After Frankie was given the all-clear to go to the rest of her classes, none of which she had with Mikey, the morning seemed to drag on. So when the bell signaling the beginning of lunchtime rang, Frankie practically jumped out of her seat, immediately heading for her locker. She grabbed the lunch her mom had prepared for her out of her bag before closing the locker door again. She smiled as Mikey walked up to her. “Ready to go? I’ll introduce you to my brother if you like.” He said.

“Oh, yeah, that sounds great! I’d love to meet him!” Frankie replied, smiling up at the taller teen.

“Well, let’s not waste time then.” Mikey chuckled, beginning to walk towards the outdoor tables. Frankie followed closely, still not quite sure where everything was.

“Mikey!” Someone called, and Frankie looked in the direction the voice had came from, spotting the black-haired teen from that morning, waving in her and Mikey’s direction. Grinning, Mikey took off in the direction of him, so Frankie hastily followed, weaving her way through the crowd of students.

Catching up to Mikey and stopping in front of the mysterious teen, Frankie got a good look at him. His black hair hung loosely in his face, and if the greasy appearance was anything to go by, she guessed it hadn’t been washed in a while. His skin was almost white, and his eyes sparkled a deep green color. He was slightly shorter than Mikey, though still taller than her. Not that that was a hard feat.

“Is this your girlfriend, Mikey?” The boy asked, grinning at Mikey.

“Oh, fuck off, Gee.” Mikey snapped back. “It’s not like that at all!”

The boy-Gee, apparently-chuckled. “Uhuh, right.”

Mikey rolled his eyes, turning back towards Frankie. “Frankie, this is Gee, my brother. Gee, this is Frankie, who is my friend, nothing more and nothing less.” Mikey introduced the two, putting a lot of emphasis on the word ‘friend’.

Gee offered Frankie his hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Frankie smiled. “Yeah, you too.” She accepted Gee’s handshake.

“Where’s Ray?” Mikey asked his brother.

“Over there.” Gee replied, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the steps near the lunch tables. “Do you two wanna join us?”

Mikey looked at Frankie. “If Frankie’s cool with it, sure.”

“Yeah, that would be great actually.” Frankie said, smiling at the brothers.

“Well, come on then.” Gee said, smiling at the two younger teens as he walked off in the direction of his best friend. Mikey and Frankie followed after him. People stared at the three of them-they weren’t exactly the cool kind of kids, after all-but they didn’t care, as they made their way through the lunch area to the steps in question.

“About time.” Ray chuckled. “Hey Mikey. I heard about your girlfriend, Alyssa, was it? Sorry about that.”

“What?” Mikey said, blinking in confusion.Who the hell was Alyssa? “Oh, you mean Alicia.” He shrugged. “It’s alright, really.”

“What even happened there, dude? You never even told me.” Gee asked as he sat down. “You were so in love with her just at the end of the last school year.”

“Well, yeah, but love means something slightly different when you’re in middle school. Besides, she was moving away, what was I to do? Wait for her and hope we would run into each other again a few years down the track?” Mikey said, shrugging his shoulders as he, too, sat down.

Frankie couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Bit of a pessimist, aren’t you?”

“He prefers the word ‘realistic’.” Ray chimed in. “Hi, by the way. I’m Ray Toro. And you are?”

“Frankie Iero.” She smiled in his direction and gave a small wave as she sat down. “You’re the crayon kid from this morning, aren’t you?”

Ray cringed. “Oh God, you saw that?”

“Ray, what did you do?” Gee asked, not in on the joke, if you could even call it that.

“He licked a crayon, and then bit it of all things, seriously, what the fuck Ray?” Mikey answered. “And now that’s stuck as poor Frankie here’s first memory of Ray Toro.”

Frankie laughed at Mikey’s wording. He was so blunt and unfiltered about almost everything he talked about, Frankie had noticed. “It’s fine, really. I’ve probably done weirder things at some point.”

“Frankie, you drank your science experiment just a couple of hours ago, let me remind you.” Mikey pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Frankie shrugged, chuckling to herself. 

“Shit! Are you alright though?” Gee asked the short girl.

“I mean, clearly. I’m still here, aren’t I?” Frankie giggled, turning to look at the older teen. The two made eye contact, and Frankie felt the deep green eyes bore into her bright hazel. She opened her mouth to say something else, if only to break the awkwardness she felt slowly creeping up, but was interrupted by Ray calling out “Incoming!”, followed by Mikey shouting “Duck, Frankie!”.

“What?” Frankie said, turning her head back around. Unfortunately, as she did this, a sandwich came flying at her, smacking her directly in the face before landing on her lap. Sighing, she turned around, gauging her friends’ reactions. Mikey and Ray were both glaring in the direction of the jock who threw it and was now laughing along with all the other jerks gathered around his table. Meanwhile Gee was just shaking his head, shooting a sympathetic glance at Frankie.

“Are you alright, Frankie?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Frankie sighed. “I’m used to it.” She had always been bullied at her previous schools. For looking and dressing like a girl when you were supposed to be a boy, she thought to herself.

“That’s bullshit. You shouldn’t have to be used to it.” Ray exclaimed.

“Don’t worry about it too much, Frankie. People are just absolute assholes sometimes.” Mikey added, making sure to shout out the word ‘assholes’, earning him a dirty look from the jocks. “Yeah, that’s right, I’m talking about you idiots!”

“Mikey, stop it. They’re twice your size and could literally break you in half. Not worth it, kid.” Gee quickly cut in.

Mikey rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, making him look much younger than he really was. “Whatever, Gee.”

Frankie smiled to herself. She was glad to have friends who were already so protective over her.

“Are you alright, Frankie?” A familiar voice asked, and Frankie couldn’t help but be shocked as she looked up into the eyes of probably her only friend from middle school.

“Oh my God, Jamia, hi!” Frankie said, immediately standing up and hugging the other girl, smiling as she returned the gesture. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been great, actually! What about you?” Jamia said, before lowering her voice. “You look great, Frankie. I’m proud of you.” Frankie couldn’t help but smile wide at that.

Aside from Frankie’s mother, Jamia had been the only person thus far to know and accept Frankie for who she really was. Before she had come out, the two had dated for a little while. However, Frankie felt she had to break it off because of her secret. She hadn’t really intended to tell her, but on the night the two broke it off, emotions had run high, and Frankie had let it slip accidentally. Thankfully, Jamia had been almost overwhelmingly supportive, and had actually been the one to encourage Frankie to come out to her mother. Sadly, Jamia had had to move halfway through the school year, so Frankie was ecstatic to find she had moved to the same city she had during the summer.

“Thanks, Jamia.” Frankie whispered, pulling away, gesturing to her friends. “Oh, by the way, this is Mikey, Gee, and Ray. Guys, this is my old friend Jamia.”

The boys exchanged greetings with Jamia, waving and saying ‘hi’ politely. Smiling, she turned to Frankie. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Frankie replied, shooting a smile at her old friend.

“Well, if you’re ever, you know, not okay, you can come talk to me anytime. I sit over there.” Jamia pointed to a table near the main building entrance, which had a group of three other girls huddled around it.

Frankie smiled up at her. “Thanks, Jam. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Jamia smiled back. “Yeah. See you, Frankie.” And with that, she walked back to her table.

“Something to tell us, Frankie?” Gee teased, grinning at her.

“What? No, she’s just an old friend.” Frankie said, sitting back down.

“Oh come on, Frankie, we all saw her whispering to you. What’d she say, anyhow?” Mikey chimed in.

“That’s a private matter between two friends, Mikey.” Frankie said, a bit more bite in her tone than she intended, since her frustration was growing. It wasn’t that she wanted to be mad at them, there was just no way in hell she was telling three guys she just met that she dated another girl once, especially when they weren’t aware of the fact she was supposedly a boy at that point. What if they were homophobic, or transphobic, or, worst case scenario, both?

Mikey shrugged, figuring it was best to leave it at that. He supposed, he didn’t like Gee doing the same thing to him, so why should he do it to someone else? “Alright, if you insist. Sorry.”

Frankie sent him a small smile, letting him know she accepted his apology. She was glad he knew when to leave the situation alone.

\--

Before Frankie knew it, the school day was over, and she was bidding farewell to her new friends. She waved to Ray as he went off in the direction of his house, leaving her with the two Way brothers.

“How do you get home, Frankie?” Mikey asked, as the three headed towards where his mom was parked.

“Oh, I walk. It’s not too far.” Frankie replied, gesturing in the general direction of her house.

“Still, this is New Jersey. It’s not exactly safe for a young girl to walk alone.” Gee stated, glancing at the short girl in concern.

“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” Frankie said, rolling her eyes at him.

“You sure? I’m sure our mom wouldn’t mind giving you a lift.” Mikey said, pointing towards the car belonging to the woman in question. “Besides, you live quite close to the school, right? It’s not like we’d be going out of our way too much.”

Frankie paused, turning to smile at her friend. “That’s very sweet of you, Mikey, and I appreciate the offer, but I promise I’ll be alright walking.”

“Alright, well in that case-” Mikey began, but was interrupted by his mom honking the horn at him impatiently.

“Coming, mom!” Gee called out, quickly turning to Frankie. “See you tomorrow, Frankie!” And with that, he dashed towards the car.

Mikey smiled at the shorter teen. “See you, Frankie.”

Frankie smiled back. “Yeah, see you.”

“Mikey, come on!” Gee called out. Mikey sighed, flashing a small smile at Frankie as he, too, dashed off in the direction of the car.

Frankie smiled to herself as she made her way home. She considered her first day of high school a success. Yeah, there was her idiot decision to drink her chemistry experiment, and the sandwich incident. But she had made three new friends, and reunited with an old friend. Things were looking up for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments on the last two chapters! So sorry it took so long to get this one out, life kind of took over for a while there, but I'm on summer break now so I should have plenty of time to write! This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous two, but I cut it off when I did for a reason. This is going to be my last upload of this particular fic for 2016, and I have an unrelated oneshot in the works which I plan to upload by the new year, so there's that to look forward to as well! Please enjoy, and as always feel free to be brutally honest about your thoughts in the comments!

Mikey climbed into the backseat of his mother’s car. “Hey mom.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Gee added as he got in as well. “Just saying goodbye to Mikey’s new girlfriend.”

 

Mikey glared at the older of the two, as Gee laughed to himself. “Gee, for the last time, Frankie is NOT my girlfriend!”

 

“Yeah, but you wish.” Gee grinned.

 

“I do not!”

 

“You so do!”   
  
“Gee, I swear-”   
  
“That’s enough boys.” Donna chided. “Michael, don’t yell at your brother. Gerard, don’t tease your brother.”

 

“Yes mom.” The two said in perfect sync. Gee had to stop himself from reacting to the use of his birth name.

 

“Now, who was that girl, Mikey?” Donna asked.

 

“That was Frankie, who is my new  _ friend _ .” Mikey put heavy emphasis on  _ friend _ , glaring pointedly at Gee as he did so, causing the older teen to chuckle to himself. “She just moved here from the other side of Jersey.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you made a friend. Gerard, how’s Ray?” Donna asked, directing the conversation to her older child.

 

The drive home continued pretty much like that. Donna would ask them questions about Frankie and Ray, and one of them would respond. Occasionally one of them would direct a question at her, asking about work and what was for dinner and whatnot.

 

Gee and Mikey were out of the car almost as soon as they pulled up into the driveway. The two immediately headed for Gee’s basement bedroom, ignoring Donna’s shout of “Don’t forget to do your homework, boys!” Gee flopped onto his bed face-first, while Mikey opted to flop into the desk chair.

 

“School sucks.” Gee declared, though it was muffled by the pillow he was face-down on.

 

“I’ll agree with that.” He said, chuckling as Gee let out an elongated groan, before sticking his head up for air.

 

“I have Gym first thing tomorrow.  _ Gym! _  Who’s idea was that?” Gee cried, flailing his arms dramatically.

 

“Hey, Frankie and I have Algebra first thing on Monday mornings. Don’t complain.” Mikey responded, chuckling at the older teen. Gee had always had a flair for the dramatic.

 

“Okay, yeah, you win. Or lose, I guess. Your soul’s getting ripped out first thing in the morning, I don’t suppose that’s a good thing.” Gee agreed, chuckling under his breath. “So, do you have Frankie in many of your classes?”

 

“Just Algebra and Chemistry. Otherwise, I’m alone.” Mikey shrugged. “I’m cool with that, I suppose. It pays to be alone sometimes.”

 

“That’s true.” The two brothers sat in silence for a little while, Gee staring up at the ceiling and Mikey swiveling around on the desk chair. Gee eventually broke the silence. “You like her, don’t you?”

 

“Gee.” Mikey groaned. “I don’t like her that way. Yes, she’s pretty, I can’t deny that much, but I don’t like her like that!”

 

“Alright, jeez.” Gee said, rolling his eyes. “You know, for someone who doesn't have a crush, you're awfully defensive about it.”

 

“Why do you care so much anyway, Gee?” Mikey asked. “I mean, when it came to Alicia, you didn't give a shit about whether or not we were ‘just friends’ until we actually started dating. What makes Frankie different?”

 

“Two things, Mikes.” Gee stated, sitting up to face his younger brother. “First, you weren't fresh out of a previous relationship with Alicia and you sure as hell weren't heartbroken then either.”

 

Mikey rolled his eyes at that. “Gee, I'm not heartbroken about the breakup. Again, my idea? Besides, I wouldn't call what we had love, I am only fourteen after all.”

 

“Fifteen next week, Mikey.”

 

“Whatever, point is, Alicia and I weren't going to last anyway, and it's better this way really.” Mikey watched as Gee opened his mouth to comment on Mikey’s outlook on it, before quickly closing his mouth, obviously deciding against it. “What's the second thing, Gee?”

 

“Right. Well, how do I put this nicely?” Gee started, rubbing the back of his head gently. “There's something...different about Frankie. I don't know what, I just get the feeling there's something unique about her, something that may or may not have the potential to be a bad thing. I don't want to see you get hurt if you do pursue her and it's something really bad, you know?”

 

Mikey gave his brother a small smile. “I get what you mean about the unique thing. I got that vibe from her too. She's certainly not an ordinary girl, that's for damn sure. But I'm not gonna pursue her, and I won't get hurt. I'll be okay, Gee. I promise.”

 

\--

 

When Frankie got home, her mom was waiting for her. This was an unusual event - since it was just Frankie and her, Linda often worked long hours to be able to pay the bills and afford the essentials. Frankie had gotten used to not expecting her home before 7, at least.

 

“Hey baby.” Linda greeted, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug. “How did you go?”

 

“Geez, mom. Can't even give me five minutes to get changed out of this uniform before bombarding me with questions.” Frankie joked, smiling as she returned the hug.

 

Linda rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, go on then.” 

 

Frankie grinned at her mom before racing up the stairs, quickly getting changed out of her uniform and into a tank top and shorts, much more comfortable than the uniform, before she headed back downstairs to the living room. “Alright, ready for interrogation.” She joked as she sat on the couch, her mom joining her within seconds.

 

“It’s hardly an interrogation Francesca.” Linda said, rolling her eyes. “So, I know we moved to avoid bullies who know you, but any familiar faces?”

 

“Actually, funny story about that.” Frankie said, grinning at her mom. “You remember how Jamia left halfway through last year right? Turns out we now go to the same school again.”

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful Frankie!” Linda said, and Frankie had to subtly roll her eyes, for she swore that her mom liked her best friend of several years more than she did. “You two were such great friends, and she was so supportive! I’m glad you found her again! So is she who you stuck with all day?”

 

“Actually, no.I actually made some new friends. Three, actually, would you believe it?” Frankie joked.

 

“Oh, tell me all about them!” Linda said. She was the kind of mom who, while she respected Frankie’s privacy and right to be friends with whoever she chose to, she also wanted to know  _ everything  _ she could about the people she was keeping company with.

 

“Well, first there’s Mikey. He’s a freshman like me. He’s really tall, and kind of nerdy looking. He was the first friend I made actually because I kind of ran into him and made him lose his glasses. He said there was something unique about me, whatever that means.” Frankie began. “Then there’s Ray. I’m not too sure, but I think he’s a senior. He’s the kind of person you’d find in a crowd no problem, what with the giant afro he’s got going on and all. He’s kind of the weird one, I think, for the first time I saw him he licked a crayon and then ate it.” She paused to chuckle at the memory, leaving out the bit where she was probably weirder, you know, with the whole drinking of the science experiment thing. “And then finally there’s Gee. He’s a senior, and he’s Mikey’s older brother. He’s kind of pretty-looking, but he really needs to wash his hair, it kind of looks like an oil slick. Um...he’s pretty nice, I guess. Kind of quiet, though, so I don’t know much about him.” Frankie finally finished.

 

“They sound like they’ll be great friends for you, Frankie!” Linda enthused. She nudged her daughter’s arm gently. “And hey, it sounds to me like Mikey might have a bit of a crush on you.”

 

“Yeah, Gee thinks that too.” Frankie giggled. “I think he might just be teasing him, though. That’s what brothers do, right?” She guessed, since she was the only child and wouldn’t know anything about what it’s like to have any siblings. “Besides, I don’t think I like Mikey like that. He’s cute, but not my type.”

 

Linda nodded in understanding. “Well, if he does make a move on you, you let him down gently, got it?” She said. “Unless he’s a jerk about it. Then you be assertive.” Linda always tried to drill into Frankie the ‘do no harm but take no shit’ mentality. It didn’t always work, however - Frankie lived up to the stereotype that short people were feisty and often violent, much to Linda’s dismay.

 

“Yes mom.” Frankie said, rolling her eyes jokingly. It wasn’t her fault her temper matched her height after all.

 

\--

 

The rest of the week passed by quickly. Frankie had taken to walking out of school with the Ways every day, and (thankfully, for the sake of Mikey’s sanity) she hadn’t downed any more science experiments. On Friday afternoon, when Gee caught up to Mikey and Frankie, he casually swung an arm around Mikey’s shoulders. “Say, Mikey, have you told Frankie about the plan for Sunday?”

 

Mikey groaned. “Gee you know I don’t want to do it.” He said, shaking their arm off.

 

“What? What’s Sunday?” Frankie asked, looking between the both of them, asking for clarification with her eyes.

 

“Mikey’s birthday. He’s gonna be 15.” Gee said, a grin spreading across his face, whereas Mikey just groaned in response, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers and shaking his head. “And since our mom doesn’t trust teenage parties-” He paused to roll his eyes. “-She instead said we could have a few people over for the day. Obviously, Ray’s gonna be there, but mom insists on meeting Mikey’s new best friend as well. That’s you if you couldn’t figure it out, by the way. You in or out?”

 

“Uh, sure. Sounds great.” Frankie said, smiling. She knew her mom would be cool with it, considering Frankie had proved multiple times she could handle herself, and she just trusted her daughter not to do anything too stupid.

 

“Great!” Gerard said, getting out a piece of paper and scribbling down some words and a number on it before passing it to Frankie. “So, here’s our address, and our landline, just in case your mom wants to talk to ours about it or whatever.”

 

“Cool, thanks.” Frankie said, taking the paper. “I’ll see you Sunday, then.” And with that, she began her walk home. She got about ten steps away from the brothers before she was stopped by Mikey calling out to her. “Yeah?” She asked, stopping and turning to face the two.

 

“Don’t even think about getting me anything, alright?” Mikey said. “Gee might try and convince you otherwise but please don’t.”

 

“Wouldn’t even dream of it Mikes.” Gee said, smiling innocently at his younger brother.

 

Frankie giggled at their exchange, and she swore it was probably the girliest sound she’d ever made. “Alright, I promise I won’t. I’ll just grace you with my presence and that’ll be your gift from me.” She grinned at the two, before she turned back around and headed off in the direction of her house.

 

“Gee, did you really have to tell her it was my birthday on Sunday?” Mikey groaned, turning on his older sibling.

 

“What? She's a nice girl and mom wants to meet her, it's a perfect excuse to have her over!” Gee defended, raising his hands in mock surrender.

 

“And you had to say she's my new best friend?” Mikey exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose again. “That makes me sound like some pathetic loser or something.”

 

“Well-”

 

“Don't finish that sentence.” Mikey said, flashing his older sibling a half-hearted glare before he headed towards their mom’s car, climbing into the backseat.

  
“Aw, come on Mikes! I’m messing with you, it's what older siblings do!” Gee protested, chuckling to himself a little as he followed Mikey.


End file.
